British journalists tweeted about the News of the World phone-hacking scandal more than any other subject between July and September, according to a study of more than 330,000 tweets.

The study, sure to prove controversial with journalists whose 140-character dispatches have been overlooked, also lists what it claims are the top 50 media tweeters.

Neal Mann, the Sky News digital news editor, is the most influential UK journalist on Twitter, according to the study, with 100,000 mentions and retweets from his @fieldproducer account in the three months to the end of September.

"I am almost lost for words," Mann told the Guardian. "Undoubtedly the highlight of my career and finally makes all the pains of 'Twitter thumb' worthwhile."

The joint study, by the Tweetminster news website and PR agency Portland, analysed 330,429 tweets and mentions of journalists from UK news groups.

Twitter news hounds – including Ben Goldacre, Rory Cellan-Jones and Krishnan Guru-Murthy – all find themselves among the top-ranked tweeters in the UK, but the list also features some surprise additions. Johann Hari, the Independent columnist, appears at No 42 after allegations of plagiarism arose in June.

Hari appears prominently in the list not because of the number of tweets he has made – he has been off the site since the allegations first emerged – but because he was mentioned so many times in the period, leading up to his high-profile mea culpa in September.

Women are also significantly underrepresented in the list, with the Times columnist Caitlin Moran among a number of other prominent female journalists who are absent. There are only nine women listed in the top 50.

The Guardian is the most prolific UK media tweeter, according to the study, with more than 100,000 Twitter updates in the period, ahead of BBC News with 78,000 and Sky News with 47,000.

editor of BBC Radio 4's The World at One, The World This Weekend and What The Papers Say

BBC

15

iankatz1000

Ian Katz

deputy editor

The Guardian

16

commentisfree

Jessica Reed

assistant editor, Comment is Free

The Guardian

17

bglendenning

Barry Glendenning

deputy sports editor

The Guardian

18

xtophercook

Chris Cook

education correspondent

Financial Times

19

tim

Tim Bradshaw

digital media correspondent

Financial Times

20

archiebland

Archie Bland

foreign editor

Independent

21

guardiantech

Guardian Tech Feed

The Guardian

22

jemimakiss

Jemima Kiss

media reporter

The Guardian

23

estheraddley

Esther Addley

senior news writer

The Guardian

24

inglesi

Piers Scholfield

BBC World Service journalist

BBC

25

holysmoke

Damian Thompson

editor, Telegraph blogs

Daily Telegraph

26

henrywinter

Henry Winter

Daily Telegraph football correspondent and columnist for the Sunday Telegraph

Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph

27

tobyharnden

Toby Harnden

US editor

Daily Telegraph

28

hwallop

Harry Wallop

retail editor

Daily Telegraph

29

skymarkwhite

Mark White

home affairs correspondent

Sky News

30

richardpbacon

Richard Bacon

Radio 5 Live presenter

BBC

31

pollycurtis

Polly Curtis

Whitehall correspondent

The Guardian

32

jackschofield

Jack Schofield

author, Ask Jack column

The Guardian

33

alextomo

Alex Thomson

chief correspondent and presenter

Channel 4 News

34

jonswaine

Jon Swaine

New York correspondent

Daily Telegraph

35

michaelsavage

Michael Savage

political staff

The Times

36

jamescrabtree

James Crabtree

comment page editor

Financial Times

37

j_freedland

Jonathan Freedland

columnist for the Guardian, presenter of BBC R4's The Long View

BBC and the Guardian

38

janinegibson

Janine Gibson

editor-in-chief, Guardian US

The Guardian

39

amolrajan

Amol Rajan

columnist

The Independent

40

benfenton

Ben Fenton

media correspondent

Financial Times

41

lindseyhilsum

Lindsey Hilsum

international editor

Channel 4 News

42

johannhari101

Johann Hari

journalist

The Independent

43

kate_day

Kate Day

social media and engagement editor

Daily Telegraph

44

shanerichmond

Shane Richmond

head of technology

Daily Telegraph

45

bryony_gordon

Bryony Gordon

columnist

Daily Telegraph

46

edwestonline

Ed West

journalist

Daily Telegraph

47

darshnasoni

Darsha Soni

Midlands correspondent

Channel 4 News

48

niallpaterson

Niall Paterson

defence correspondent

Sky News

49

christopherhope

Christopher Hope

Whitehall editor

Daily Telegraph

50

megpickard

Meg Pickard

head of digital engagement

The Guardian

MediaGuardian.co.uk also came up trumps, beaten only by the indefatigable @fieldproducer to be top UK tweeter. Guardian News & Media editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger, BBC politics heavyweight Andrew Neil and the Guardian News Twitter feed made up the rest of the top five.

The study, dubbed the "NewsTweet Index", is the first in a quarterly analysis to be published by Tweetminster and Portland.

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